Rasta/Patios Dictionary
Table of Contents
A DOOR outdoors.
AGONY the sensations felt during sex
AN than
ARMAGEDDON the biblical final battle between the forces of good
and evil (1)
BABYLON 1. the corrupt establishment, the "system Church and State" 2. the police, a policeman
BAD good, great
BADNESS hooligan behavior, violence for its own sake
BAFAN clumsy; awkward
BAFANG a child who did not learn to walk the 1st 2-7 years. (5)
BAG-O-WIRE a betrayer (1)
BAGGY underpants for a woman or child. (5)
BAKRA white slavemaster, or member of the ruling class in colonial days. Popular etymology:"back raw" (which he bestowed with a whip.) (5)
BALD-HEAD a straight person; one without dreadlocks; one who works for babylon (2)
BAMBU rolling paper (1)
BAMMY a pancake made out of cassava, after it has been grated and squeezed to remove the bitter juice. (5)
BANDULU bandit, criminal, one living by guile (1) a BANDULU BIZNESS is a racket, a swindle. (5)
BANGARANG hubbub, uproar, disorder, disturbance. (5)
BANKRA a big basket, including the type which hangs over the sides of a donkey. (5)
BANS from bands; a whole lot, a great deal, nuff, whole heap. (5)
BAT butterfly or moth. English bat, the flying rodent, is a rat-bat. (5)
BATTY bottom; backside; anus. (5)
BATTYBWOY a gay person (6)
BEAST a policeman (1)
BEX vex (verb), or vexed (adjective). (5)
BISSY cola nut. (5)
BLY chance, "must get a bly", "must get a chance". (4)
BOBO fool. (5)
BRAA from BREDDA; brother. (5)
BRAATA a little extra; like the 13th cookie in a baker's dozen; or an extra helping of food. In musical shows it has come to be the encore. (5)
BREDREN one's fellow male Rastas (1)
BRINDLE to be angry (6)
BRINKS title given to a man who is supplying a woman with money (6)
BUBU fool. (5)
BUCKY home-made gun (2)
BUFU-BUFU fat, swollen, blubbery; too big; clumsy or lumbering.(5)
BUGUYAGA a sloppy, dirty person, like a bum or tramp. (5)
BULL BUCKA a bully (1)
BULLA a comon sugar and flour cookie or small round cake, sold everywhere in Jamaica. (5)
BUMBA CLOT,
(TO GET) BUN to have one's spouse or girl/boy-friend cheat on oneself, to be cheated out of something (6)
RAS CLOT,
BLOOD CLOT curse words (1)
BUMBO bottom; backside. A common curse word, especially in combination with CLOT (cloth), a reference to the days before toilet paper. (5)
BUNKS to knock or bump against, from "to bounce",
BUNKS MI RES, catch my rest, take a nap. (5)
(THE) CAT a woman's genitals (6)
CARD to fool someone (6)
CEASE & SEKKLE! stop everything and relax! (6)
CERACE a ubiquitous vine used for boiling medicinal tea and for bathing. It is proverbial for its bitterness.(5)
CHA! or CHO! a disdainful expletive (1) pshaw! (2) very common, mild explanation expressing impatience, vexation or disappointment. (5)
CHAKA-CHAKA messy, disorderly, untidy. (5)
CHALICE or CHILLUM a pipe for smoking herb, usually made from coconut shell and tubing, used ritually by Rastas (1)
CHEAP just as cheap, just as well. (5)
CHIMMY chamber pot. (5)
CHO very common, mild explanation expressing impatience, vexation or disappointment. (5)
CLAP hit, break, stride (1)
CLOT 1. cloth, an essential part of most Jamaican bad words,
such as bumbo clot, rass clot, blood clot, etc.
The essence of Jamaican cursing seems to be nastiness, rather than the blashemy or sexuality which is characteristic of the metropolitan countries. 2. to hit or strike - from the verb "to clout". (5)
COCO a potato-like edible root, known elsewhere as the taro
or the eddo. It was brought to Jamaica from the South Pacific. This is completely distinct from cocoa, usually called
chocolate. (5)
COIL money (6)
COME DUNG come down, get ready (as to prepare to play a tune) (6)
COME EEN LIKE to seem as if; to resemble. (5)
CONTROL to be in charge of, responsible for, to own; to take (1)
COOL RUNNINGS a greeting; things are going smoothly (1)
COOLIE the traditional Jamaican epithet for East Indians. It is never used It is never used for Chinese Jamaicans. Usually in the form coolie-man or coolie-oman. It is not considered polite today anymore than the term nega, but it is still used widely in rural areas. (5)
CORK UP jammed, filled, crowded (2)
CORN 1. marijuana 2. money 3. a bullet (1)
COTCH verb (cotch up), to support something else, as with a forked stick; to balance something or place it temporarily; to beg someone a cotch, can be a place on
a crowded bus seat or bench; or it may mean to cotch a
while, to stay somewhere temporarily. (5)
COTTA a roll of cloth or vegetation placed on top of the head to cushion the skull from the weight of a head load. (5)
CRAB aside from it's usual meaning, it is a verb meaning to
scratch or claw. (5)
CRAVEN greedy (5)
CRIS crisp; popularly used for anything brand-new, slick-looking. (5)
CRISSARS crisp, brand-new (2)
CROSSES problems, vexations, trials; bad luck, misfortunes. (5)
CRUCIAL serious, great, "hard", "dread" (1)
CUBBITCH covetous. (5)
CULTURE reflecting or pertaining to the roots values and traditions highly respected by the Rastas (1)
CUSS-CUSS a quarrel or fracas, with lots of cursing. (5)
CUT YAI to cut your eye at somebody is a very common means of expressing scorn or contempt, for example; one catches the other person's eye, then deliberatly turns one's
own eyes as an insult. (5)
CUTCHIE pipe for communal smoking. (5)
CYAAN cannot, can't (6)
D.J. a person who sings or scats along with dub music, sometimes called "toasting" (2)
DAAL split peas, usually a thick soup, from Indian cuisine,
from Hindi. (5)
DADA father (6)
DALLY executive zig-zag movements on wheels (2) or on foot (6)
to ride a bicycle or motorbike with a weaving motion,
as when ones weaves around potholes. (5)
DAN DADA the highest of DON'S (6)
DAN than (5)
DARKERS sunglasses (6)
DASHEEN a big soft yam-like root, often slightly greyish when
cooked. It is related to the coco, but one eats the
"head" instead of the tubers. (5)
DAWTA a girl, woman, "sister", girlfriend (1)
DEADERS meat, meat by-products (1)
DEESTANT decent. (5)
DEGE or DEGE-DEGE adjective, little, skimpy, measly, only, as in a two
dege-dege banana. (5)
DEH there (place) (6)
DI the (6)
DINKI a kind of traditional dance at funerals or "nine nights"
("set-ups"); now popular among school children. (5)
DIS or DIS YA this (6)
DJEW as a verb, rain a djew; as a noun, djew rain.
It means a light rain or drizzle. (5)
DOGHEART a person who is especially cold and cruel (6)
DOLLY executive zig-zag movements on wheels (2)
DON one who is respected, master of a situation (6)
DONKYA from "don't care"; careless, sloppy, lacking ambition,
etc. (5)
DOONDOOS an albino. (5)
DOWNPRESSOR preferred term for oppressor (1)
(TO) DRAW CARD the act of fooling someone (6)
DREAD 1. a person with dreadlocks
2. a serious idea or thing
3. a dangerous situation or person
4. the "dreadful power of the holy"
5. experientially, "awesome, fearful confrontation of
a people with a primordial but historically denied
racial selfhood" (1)
DREADLOCKS 1. hair that is neither combed nor cut 2. a person with
dreadlocks (1)
DREADY a friendly term for a fellow dread (1)
DUB a roots electronic music, created by skillful,
artistic re-engineering of recorded tracks (2)
DUCK-ANTS white ants, or termites. (5)
DUKUNU sweet corn-meal dumplings boiled in wrapped leaves. (5)
DUNDUS an albino. (5)
DUNS,DUNSA money (1)
DUPPY a ghost (1)
DUTCHY dutch cooking pot, low round-bottomed heavy pot. (5)
EASE-UP to forgive, to lighten up (6)
EVERYTING COOK
& CURRY all is well, all is taken care of (6)
FAS' to be fast with, meaning to be rude, impertinent,
to meddle with sombody's business, to be forward, etc.
(5)
FASSY eczema-like scratchy sores on the skin;
also a verb meaning to cause oneself to be covered with
fassy by scratching. (5)
FAYVA to favour, resemble, or look like; "fayva like"
also means "it seems as if". (5)
FEEL NO WAY don't take offense, don't be sorry, don't worry (1)
FENKY-FENKY (from finicky) choosy, proud, stuck-up. (5)
FIESTY impudent, rude, out of order, cheeky. (5)
FIRST LIGHT tomorrow (1)
(HIM A) FISH a gay person (6)
FIT when used of fruits and vegetables,
it means ready to pick, full grown,
though not necessarily fully ripe. (5)
FORWARD 1. to go, move on, set out 2. in the future (1)
FRONTA tobacco leaf used to roll herb (1)
FUCKERY wrong, unfair (6)
FULLNESS,
TO THE FULLNESS completely, absolutely, totally (1)
FUNDS Money (6)
GAAN TO BED an adverbial phrase; following a verb of liking or
loving, it has a superlative meaning;
Can be used in any context,
such as "I love hafu yam gaan to bed!". (5)
GANJA herb, marijuana (1)
GANSEY t-shirt, any knit shirt (2)
(TO) GET SALT to be thwarted, to encounter misfortune (6)
GATES home, yard (1)
GENERAL cool operator (1)
GIG spinning top. (5)
GLAMITY a woman's genitals (6)
GORGON outstanding dreadlocks (1)
(DON) GORGON outstanding dreadlocks, a person who is respected (2,6)
GRAVALICIOUS greedy, avaricious. (5)
GRINDSMAN one who displays great prowess in bed(6)
GROUNATION large, island-wide meeting and celebration of Rastas (1)
GROUND home, yard (4)
HACKLE to hassle, bother, worry, trouble. As a noun, hackling.
(5)
HAFFI to have to... (6)
HAIL a greeting (1)
HARD excellent, proficient, skillful, uncompromising (1)
HEETCH itch. Many such words could be listed under H,
as initial H is added to scores of words at will. (5)
HERB marijuana (1)
HIEZ-HAAD ears-hard, thick skulled, stubborn, unwilling or unable
to hear. (5)
HIEZ ears. (5)
HITEY-TITEY upper class, high tone, "stoosh". (5)
HOOD penis. (5)
HORTICAL (DON) respected, acclaimed (6)
HOT-STEPPER fugitive from jail or gun court (1)
I-MAN I, me, mine (1)
I-NEY a greeting (2)
I-REY 1. a greeting 2. excellent, cool, highest (1)
I-SHENCE herb (1)
I-TAL vital, organic, natural, wholesome; refers to way of
cooking and way of life (1)
in colors, red, green and gold (2)
I replaces "me", "you", "my"; replaces the first syllable
of seleted words (1) I and I, I&I& I, me, you and me,
we (1)
Rastafari speech eliminates you, me we, they, etc.,
as divisive and replaces same with communal I and I.
I and I embraces the congregation in unity with the
Most I (high) in an endless circle of inity (unity). (3)
IEZ-HAAD ears-hard, thick skulled, stubborn, unwilling or
unable to hear. (5)
IEZ ears. (5)
IGNORANT short-tempered, easy to vex, irate. (5)
INNA DI MORROWS tomorrow (6)
INNA In the (4)
ISMS and SKISMS negative term denoting Babylon's classificatory systems
(1)
ITES 1. the heights
2. a greeting
3. the color red (1) great (2)
JA, JAM-DOWN Jamaica (1)
JACKASS ROPE homegrown tobacco, twisted into a rope. (5)
JAH KNOW Lord knows (1)
JAH God; possibly derived as a shortened form of Jahweh or
Jehovah (1)
Jah Ras Tafari, Haille Selassie, King of Kings, Lord of
Lords, conquering Lion of Judah; rastas revere Haile
Selassie as the personification of the Almighty (2)
JAMMIN to be having a good time, to be dancing calypso/soca (6)
JANGA shrimp, crayfish. (5)
JELLY a young coconut, full of jelly. (5)
JOOK to pierce or stick, as with a thorn or a long pointed
stick. (5)
JUDGIN' adjective, everyday or ordinary clothes or shoes worn
in the yard or in the bush, as in "judgin' boot".
Also as a verb, to judge, with a similar meaning. (5)
JUU as a verb, rain a juu; as a noun, juu rain.
It means a light rain or drizzle. (5)
KALI; COOLY marijuana (1)
KALLALOO a dark, green leafy vegetable, very nutritious and
cheap. (5)
KATA a roll of cloth or vegetation placed on top of the head
to cushion the skull from the weight of a head load. (5)
KEMPS a little bit, a tiny piece, from skimps. (5)
KISS ME NECK! common exclamation of surprise. (5)
KISS TEET to kiss one's teeth or to suck one's teeth is to make
the very common hissing noise of disappoval, dislike,
vexation or disappointment. (5)
KOUCHIE bowl of a chalice or chillum pipe (1)
KRENG-KRENG an old-fashioned meat rack, hung up high over the fire
to catch the smoke. (5)
KU DEH! look there! (5)
KU PAN look at. (5)
KU YA! look here! (5)
KU verb, look! (5)
KYA 1. to care; "donkya", don't care, careless; "no kya"
means no matter, as in "no kya weh im tun",
no matter where he turns.
2. to carry. (5)
KYAAN can't. (5)
KYAI to carry. (5)
KYAN can. (5)
LABA-LABA to chat, gab; gossip. (5)
LABRISH gossip, chit-chat. (5)
LAMBSBREAD a form of high-quality marijuana (1)
LARGE respected (6)
LEGGO BEAS' wild, disorderly, like a let-go beast. (5)
LICKY-LICKY fawning, flattering, obsequious. (5)
LILLY BIT little bit, tiny. (5)
LION a righteous Dread (1) a great soul (2)
LITTLE MORE see you later (2)
(TOO) LIKKY-LIKKY title given to those who like to eat any food they
encounter , without discretion (6)
MAAMA MAN a gay person, an effeminate man, a weakling (6)
MACA thorn, prickle. (5)
MADDA mother (6)
MAFIA big-time criminals (1)
MAGA DOG mongrel (4)
MAGA thin (2) (from meagre) (5)
MARINA a man's undershirt, guernsey; a tank-top style. (5)
MASCOT denoting inferior status (2)
MASH IT UP a huge success (1)
MASH UP, MASH DOWN destroy (1)
MASSIVE respected (6), used with LARGE to add emphasis
MONKS amongst. (5)
MORE TIME see you later (1)
MR. T the boss (2)
MUS MUS a rat (4)
MY BABY MOTHER
/ FATHER the mother/father of my child (1,6)
NANA midwife; nanny or nurse. (5)
NASH female genatalia (6)
NATTY, NATTY DREAD,
NATTY CONGO 1. dreadlocks 2. a person with dreadlocks (1)
NAZARITE Ancient Hebrew meaning to "separate", consecrated,
set apart by choice and devotion (1)
NIYABINGHI 1. "death to all black and white oppressors"
2. East African warriors who resisted colonial
domination
3. large Rastafarian meeting and spiritual gathering
4. referring to orthodox, traditional Rastas
5. a variety of drumming (1)
NIYAMEN name for Rastas referring to Niyabinghi warriors of
East Africa (1)
NO KYA no matter, as in "no kya weh im tun", no matter where
he turns. (5)
NO TRUE? isn't it so? (1)
NYAM to eat. (5)
(TOO) NYAMI-NYAMI title given to those who like to eat any food
they encounter, without discretion (6)
NYING'I-NYING'I nagging, whining. (5)
O-DOKONO boiled maize bread. (5)
OBEAH traditional African "science", relating to matters of
the spirit and spirits, spells, divinations, omens,
extra-sensory knowledge, etc. (5)
OHT FI about to, on the vergeof, as in "it hoht fi rain",
it is about to rain, it looks like rain. (5)
ONE LOVE a parting phrase, expression of unity (1)
ONE-ONE adjective, one by one, thus any small amount. (5)
ONGLE only. (5)
PAKI calabash, gourd. (5)
PAPAA pawpaw, or papaya melon. (5)
PATU owl. (5)
PEEL-HEAD bald-headed, usually certain chickens or vultures. (5)
PEENYWALLY a kind of large fire fly, actually a type of flyig
beetle. (5)
PEER avocado pear. (5)
PICKY, PICKY HEAD brush haircut (3)
PICKY-PICKY 1. finicky or choosy
2. Used of uncombed hair just starting to turn into
dreadlocks. (5)
PIKNY pickaninny, child. (5)
PINDA peanut. (5)
PIRA a low wooden stool. (5)
PITY-ME-LIKL a type of very tiny red ant whose bite is so hot and
long-lasting it resembles a sting. (5)
POCOMANIA, POCO christian revival, distinct drum rhythm (2)
POLYTRICKS politics (by Peter Tosh) (6)
POLYTRICKSTERS politicians (by Peter Tosh) (6)
POPPY-SHOW from puppet show, it is used in the idiom,
tek smadi mek poppy-show, which means to make fun of
someone or shame them, making them look ridiculous. (5)
PUM-PUM a woman's genitals (6)
PUNAANI or PUNNI a woman's genitals (6)
PUPPALICK somersalt. (5)
PUTTIN' AWAY a preposition, meaning "except for", or "except". (5)
PYAA-PYAA sickly, weak; feeble, of no account. (5)
PYU from spew; verb used of running sores or anything
similarly dripping or oozing. (5)
QUIPS 1. nouns (from squips) a tiny piece or amount.
2. verb, the Jamaican art of washing clothes making a
"squips-squips" sound. (5)
RAATID! a common mild expletive of surprise or vexation, as in
"to raatid!". It is likely a polite permutation of
"ras", a la "gosh" or "heck". (5)
RANKING highly respected (1)
RAS or RASS backside, rump; a common curse is to rass! or rass clot!
a title used by Rastafarians meaning "lord" or "head".
(5)
(TO) RAAS "really?", "damn!"(6)
RASTA, RASTAFARIAN a follower of Marcus Garvey who worships the Almighty
in the person of haile Selassie
RAT-BAT bat, the night-flying rodent. (5)
RATCHET a switchblade knife popular in Jamaica (1)
RED 1. very high on herb 2. mulatto color (1)
RENK 1. foul-smelling, raw-smelling.
2. out of order, impudent, as in a rank-imposter.
"Yu too renk!". (5)
RHAATID a curse-exclamation, similar to "what the hell" (6)
ROCKERS reggae music (1) reggae music as it is played today,
the latest sound (2)
ROOTS 1. derived from the experience of the common people,
natural indigenous
2. a greeting
3. name for a fellow Rasta (1)
ROTI flat Indian pan breads. (5)
RUDE BOY a criminal, a hard hearted person, a tough guy (6)
RUN-DUNG food cooked in coconut juice, obtained after grating
the dry coconut meat and squeezing it in water,
thus extracting the coconut cream. (5)
RYAL royal. (5)
SAL'TING 1. dishes cooked with saltfish or meat.
2. that part of the meal which is served with the "food"
(starchy food, ground food).
3. by some strange extension, the female organ, often
simply called "sal". (5)
SALT adjective, broke, empty-handed, low on funds or food,
as in "tings salt" or "i' salt". (5)
SAMBO the colour between brown and black; someone who is a
cross between a mullatto (brown) and a black. (5)
SAMFAI MAN trickster, conman. (5)
SATA to rejoice, to meditate, to give thanks and praise. (5)
SATTA sit, rest, meditate (1) relax (6)
SCIENCE obeah, witchcraft (1)
SCIENTIST occult practitioner (2)
SCOUT denoting inferior status (6)
SCREECHIE to sneak by (6)
SCREW to scowl, to be angry (1)
SEEN I understand, I agree (1)
SEEN? Do you understand? (6)
SHAG home-cured tobacco, straight from the field. (5)
SHAKE OUT leave without haste, casually (2)
SHEG (UP) verb, to bother, as in "all sheg up",
all hot and bothered, or or spoiled up (as of work). (5)
SHEG-UP to be messed up, ruined (6)
SHOOB to shove. (5)
SIDUNG sit down (6)
SIGHT? do you understand? (1)
SINKL-BIBLE the aloevera plant. (5)
SINSEMILLA, SENSIE popular, potent, seedless, unpollinated female strain
of marijuana (1)
SINTING something. (5)
SIPPLE slippery; slimy. (5)
SISTER, SISTREN a woman, a friend, woman Rastafarians (1)
SITTIN' something. (5)
SKANK to dance to reggae music (1) to move with cunning,
ulterior motives (2)
SKIL kiln, as in "limeskil". (5)
SKIN rolling paper (1)
SKIN YOUR TEETH smile (1)
SLABBA-SLABBA big and fat, slobby, droopy. (5)
SLACKNESS lewd, vulgar lyrics popular in DJ singing (4)
SMADI somebody. (5)
SO-SO only, solely, unaccompanied. (5) weak, pallid (6)
SOFT not well done, amateurish; unable to cope (1)
broke, no money (2)
SPLIFF large, cone-shaped marijuana cigarette (1)
SPRING to sprout, as of yams or cocos, making them inedible.
(5)
STAR common term of affection, camaraderie (1)
STEP to leave, to depart (1) briskly, quickly (2)
STOOSH/STOSHUS upper class, high tone, "hitey-titey". (5)
STRING UP a muscial rehearsal (2)
STRUCTURE body, health (1)
SU-SU gossip, the sound of wispering. (5)
SUFFERER a poor person stuggling to survive (2)
SUPM, SINTING something (6)
TACK bullet (2)
TAKARI/TANKARI stewed spicy pumpkin. (5)
TALL long (1)
TAM deep woolen hat, used by Dreads to cover their locks
(1,6)
TAN' to stand; usually used in the sense of "to be".
"A so im tan", "that is what he is like";
"tan deh!" or "yu tan deh!" means "just you wait!".
"Tan tedy", stand steady, means "hold still". (5)
TARRA-WARRA a polite way of expressing omitted bad words, a verbal
asterisk. (5)
TATU a little thatched hut, often made of bamboo. (5)
TEETH bullets (2)
TEIF a theif, to steal (6)
TOTO coconut cake. (5)
TRACE to curse or speak abusively to someone. (5)
TRANSPORT vehicle (1)
TUMPA from stump, as in "tumpa-foot man", a one-foot man. (5)
TUNTI female organ. (5)
UNO/UNU you-all. (5)
UPFUL postitive, encouraging (2)
UPHILL positive, righteous (1)
UPTOWN the upper classes (1)
VEX to get angry (1)
WA DAY adverbial phrase, the other day. (5)
WA MEK? why?
WAKL wattle, a kind of woven bamboo work used to make house
walls. (5)
WANGA-GUT hungry-belly. (5)
WARRA-WARRA politely omitted bad words, same as "tarra-warra". (5)
WH'APPEN? what's happening? (4)
WHEELS vehicle (6)
WHOLE HEAP a lot (1)
WINJY thin and sickly looking. (5)
WIS vine, liana, from withe. (5)
WOLF a non-rasta deadlocks (2)
WOOD penis. (5)
YA NO SEE IT? you know? (1)
YA hear, or here. (5)
YABBA a big clay pot. (5)
YAHSO here (place) (6)
YAI eye. (5)
YARD home, one's gates (1) tenement (2)
YOUTH a child, a young man, an immature man (1)
ZION Ethiopia, Africa, the Rastafarian holy land (1)
ZUNGU PAN zinc pan. (5)
Home
Book Store